This feeling (c)

The last few days have been rather unpleasant for Rainkit.

Her vision has been fuzzy, her head had been spinning at random points of the day and she would sneeze every so often. Do to this all she had been doing was sleeping in the nursery and eating some very light portions, Rainkit was sure that she would get better if she continued that pattern. However she has been feeling like her health has been worsening.

She has always been independent even as a kit, leading her to the decision that it would be best if she just went to the medicine den herself. This morning she stumbled onto her paws and exited the nursery, the weather seemed to be colder than usual. The cold air pierced her lungs making her walk around shakily. After a few steps it wasn’t long till the grey she-kit collapsed, she hadn’t even made it close to the medicine cats den.

Beechface lifted her head, breathing in the chilly air as she stepped out of the medicine den. It was bracing, helped clear her head of the scent of herbs. She slowly made her rounds of the camp, checking on the elders first, then once that was done she headed toward the nursery to check on the queens and kits. Many of the queens fretted about Asylum and the recent... developments in the clan, alongside the more usual grumblings about the cold weather and wanting their kits healthy. Beechface agreed with the fretting, and so resolved herself to checking over the kits when needed.

Before she had even made it to the nursery, however, Beechface spotted the small form of a kit all but collapsing into the snow. Gray-furred, and for a second Beechface thought the kit was one of Smokefeather's before noticing the face. No, it wasn't one of her younger siblings. Stonekit, she thought the name was. Yes, that had to be it.

Beechface hurried over to the kit, touching her nose to the kit's ear lightly to check her temperature. Briskly, she licked the kit's fur in the wrong direction, in an effort to help the kit warm up a bit.

"Stonekit?" Beechface kept her voice soft and gentle, something that still took effort and didn't come naturally to her. "Come on, let's get you out of the cold." She mewed. The poor thing was shivering. Beechface wondered how the queens had let the kit out of the nursery in this state at all.

Gently, Beechface lifted the kit by the scruff, turning towards the medicine den. It was sheltered from the worst of the wind and cold, at least, and the kit certainly looked like she needed a bit more than just warming up.

Stonekit felt herself being carried off to someplace, she figured it would either be the medicine den or back to the nursery. The small grey cat felt a wave of reassurance, before she had felt that no one would be able to find her until much later since it was still very early in the morning. Since she felt safe she let herself fade into slumber.

At the medicine den Stonekit awoke, she still didn’t feel very well. She managed to get onto her paws but was still pretty shaky, the she-kit glanced around it was clear to her she was in the medicine cats den which meant Beechface had to be around somewhere. Stonekit figured that she had to step out someplace, so she took the chance to lay back down and take a quick nap. She would thank beechface when she returned.

Once she'd settled Stonekit into the medicine den, Beechface checked the sleeping kitten over more thoroughly, before turning to the herb stores. A small bit of feverfaw for the kit's temperature, and a bit of coltsfoot to help her breathing. Honey would make the mix more palatable for Stonekit to swallow, too.

Beechface padded over to the nest that Stonekit was laying in, gently nudging the kit awake as she sat beside her smaller form with the herbs.

"Hey, Stonekit. Do you think you can eat these for me? They'll make you feel better." She asked softly, setting the tiny, kit-sized portion of herbs in front of the drowsy kitten.

Stonekit’s eyes slowly opened, she saw a tall figure but couldn’t make out their face she was still too drowsy. She couldn’t quite make out what the other cat was saying but was pretty certain that it had to do with the herbs that were laid before here. Slowly she got up onto her paws and tried to gulp down the herbs in a quick manner.

The tase of the herbs wasn’t horrible but she still gagged and coughed as she gobbled them down, probably due to the fact she tried to do it in a fast manner. Stonekit’s vision managed to revert back to normal and she was able to see clearly, that it was in fact Beechface that had helped her.

“Sorry to bother you..” Stonekit mewed quietly, she still felt sleepy and weak, more so then before. Maybe it was due to the herbs she just ate.

"You're not bothering anyone." Beechface assured the kit, watching as she ate the herbs. They didn't taste all that great, but she'd eaten them without a fuss. Beechface turned then, retreating towards her herb store once more to fetch a water-soaked mossball. The kit hadn't drank anything or eaten, and that was bound to be problematic if that wasn't fixed.

"Drink, but slowly." Beechface mewed, holding the mossball up for Stonekit carefully. "Do you feel up to eating? I can get you a mouse from the fresh-kill pile." It was phrased more as a question, but the little kit needed to eat. Something small, a mouse would be enough to quell her appetite and give her some strength back in combination with the herbs and water.

Stonekit still had an uneasy feeling running throughout her body, but the herbs that Beechface had prepared for her certainly made her feel much better then before. She peered around the den, impressed at how stocked it was for the season. Finding useable herbs were nearly impossible for leafbare. Stonekit felt guilty since herbs had went to her, they could have been given to cats in more dire situations. Her ears twitched when she saw the mossball drenched in water, she certainly was thirsty she dipped her head to show appreciation.

After quenching her thirst, she thought about Beechface question. Truth was Stonekit didn’t have much of an appetite lately, but if she denied eating, she knew that it would only trouble Beechface. “Yes..” She replied sleepily. Her eyes felt heavy again from sleep.

Beechface turned, exiting the den swiftly and quickly snagging a mouse from the fresh-kill pile. Stonekit looked exhausted, but Beechface wasn't keen on letting her fall asleep without something other than herbs in her belly. It only took a moment for her to slip back into the medicine den with the chosen prey, approaching Stonekit with it.

"Here." Beechface mewed, placing the mouse in front of her. "I know you're tired, but you need to eat, too."

Beechface vanished and reappeared at the blink of her eyes. She found it sort of amusing, it was like the medicine cat was blessed with the speed of light. Stonekit slowly sat up and began to munch at the small mouse, she really didn’t want to finish it but if she didn’t want to worry Beechface there was no other way. After taking a few bites the mouse was nothing but bones. “Thank You” Stonekit meowed.

Her slumber had somewhat subsided and her mood lightened up. She wasn’t completely better, but she didn’t feel so weak. “Must of been out in the cold for too long ” Stonekit commented, believing that was the reason she fell ill.

Stonekit ate the mouse quickly, and Beechface figured that her guess at the kit not having eaten that recently had been true. Even if she thought she wasn't hungry, food was important especially for young kits.

"Probably, kits shouldn't be out in the cold like this. It's enough to make even some of the warriors sick." Beechface responded, sitting next to the kit and curling her tail over her paws. The kit looked better, and could probably go back to playing with the other kits in the nursery soon enough.